A C(K?)ontroversial Q(K?)uestion

One of the Indian intelligentsia’s (?) favourite whipping dogs in recent years has surely been Balaji Telefilms. For the uninitiated, that is the company that is responsible for flooding channels with the K-serials.

“These serials should be pulled off the air.” (This from the usual advocates of freedom of expression by the way…)
“Shameful stuff! So incredibly regressive…”
“I mean come on! Life is not all about who has the bloody keys to the family safe.”
“Such a waste of time. Why don’t they show us something more intelligent? As if we have nothing better to do.”

Seems we don’t. Have anything better to do, that is. The TRP ratings of ‘Kyunkii Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi’ and ‘Kahaanii Ghar Ghar Ki’ have consistently remained the highest on cable television ever since they first began to be aired. That means that an overwhelming majority of people with access to cable television sit down every weeknight to watch Parvati and Tulsi fight for their respective khandaans with the ubiquitous and convenient plastic surgeries, attacks of amnesia and unexpected pregnancies thrown in. Are the critics of these serials implying that these people are witless, unintelligent viewers? That they have no choice but to settle for Balaji fare? Nonsense! The Indian viewer is spoilt for choice and has consistently chosen to watch these serials over others.

At this point it becomes important to decide whether we feel that television reflects society or vice versa, for a number of criticisms are related to this original bone of contention. Surely, the mirroring and impact are mutual and simultaneous. At the same time, it is obvious that the television reflects society far more than the other way round. Was it the popularity of soaps like The Bold and the Beautiful that led to a dramatic increase in divorces amongst Americans or did these soaps in fact simply depict the growing frailty of American marriages?

What in fact, is the problem with depicting patriarchal joint families, a materialistic society, warring business factions and regressive outlooks? These did not suddenly spring forth from our television sets with the advent of four or five television serials. Isn’t Balaji Telefilms being true to the spirit of a certain, already existent segment of the Indian social landscape, albeit with the inevitable embellishment and melodramatic representation?

That is another issue by the way. We are all agreed by now that these serials reflect life to a degree, right? However, a common grouse against these serials is that they are ‘unrealistic’. I agree. They do not represent life as it is. So what? The essence of contemporary Indian cinema and television is exaggeration. Very few ‘realistic’ reels invade our homes and theatres (there is an increase now though, what with parallel cinema and ‘reality shows’ making waves. Still a tiny part of the big picture though…). Unattractive secretary? Let’s make her downright ugly with an unflattering hairstyle that anyone with an iota of sense would change if she wanted to. An Indian college in 2004? Let’s transform it into fantasyland with clothes and make-up the like of which aren’t seen in the streets of Manhattan, much less Mumbai. A hero taking on Pakistani soldiers? Let’s make him single-handedly defeat a whole regiment- and throw in a couple of Pakistani tanks for good measure and extra applause in the theatres! But I digress… What I am trying to say is that controlled and precise representations are not the norm. They are few and far in between. So why chastise just the makers of the K-serials for something that pervades our entire entertainment industry? Do women in real households wear saris at home that look like they belong in designer showrooms? Of course not. Do diyas assume a life of their own and extinguish themselves when a calamity strikes the khandaan? Of course not! (My apologies to those who believe in the divinity of diyas. Let’s just agree to disagree, shall we?) Is the normal Indian businessman stupid enough to repeatedly sign on documents without reading them first? Of course not- at least I hope so. We all know things do not superficially function the same way in the real world as they do on screen. And why should they, some would say. What is the point of mediums that allow us to get away from every day life, if every day life is all we get to see anyway?

Then there is the issue of ‘negative’, stereotypical representations. There are fingers being pointed at Ekta Kapoor (Balaji Telefilms is her baby) for contributing to the suppression of Indian women, the spreading of superstition and what not. Let us first assume that the K-serials are in fact, regressive (Though many would disagree. I have personally heard people praise Parvati and Tulsi for being empowered and powerful women. One could argue that they are limited by a society that has cast them into the mould of the ‘ideal’ Indian woman, but their agency in the events of the soaps is unquestionable. Anyhow, let’s not even get into that argument- it is an endless one and not what we’re dealing with here). Do these daily servings of popular hogwash strengthen the hold of patriarchy and blind superstition and so on and so forth over the average Indian mind? To put it simply, will men start expecting their wives to prioritize their families over everything else because they see good old Tulsi do so? Will women start fighting over the house-keys because someone in the K-khandaan does so? I seriously doubt that. Surely we overestimate the impressionable potential of the average Indian viewer. I suppose one could say that these serials are harmful in the sense that they do not promote change or a Cultural Revolution. In other words, they help perpetuate the current state of things. Well, don’t most forms of entertainment do that? Surely the lack of radical thought is not enough reason for the kind of vehement criticism that ‘Kyunkii…’ and ‘Kahaanii…’ have provoked.

My own personal problem with the popularity of the K-serials is restricted to the fact that they have caused me a great deal of inconvenience as far as writing mails is concerned. Ekta Kapoor’s love affair with ‘K’ has led to an insane amount of interest in numerology, and I am simply unable to address anyone in writing anymore because names seem to be spelt differently every second week!!

If you ask me, despite the chaos (or is it kaos?) they’ve caused, these serials are a boon to society. Housewives have something new to chat about. Families have been granted a regular post-dinner pastime. Lonely old people have excellent entertainment. For God’s sake, the K-factor roused people to action after the Gujarat earthquake; the critical juncture at which ‘Kyunkii…’ was, motivated the survivors to mend the television cables and tune in to Star Plus faster than one could say ‘bharatiya naari’! I believe there was even talk of an award. Something to do with the solace these familiar serials provided the quake-stricken community… Ekta, the philanthropist…

I, for one, am rooting for her all the way. She has put her finger on the pulse of the people. And with resounding success. She is giving the people what they want- in fact she has mastered the art! No amount of ‘intelligent’ criticism can change the fact that the K-brigade is ruling the airwaves. As for how mindless it is…it has never been necessary for entertainment to be intellectually stimulating. It’s just entertainment after all! Let the ‘intelligentsia’ stick to recitals of medieval Central Asian poetry and lectures on geological surveys in Latin America (cerebrally challenging and suitably offbeat enough to be in vogue and be discussed at the Saturday night Habitat Centre book launch…). In the meantime, Ekta Kapoor remains the Czarina of soap operas, and soap operas remain the order of the day. There is a popular saying that goes something like this- People get the government they deserve. Well…People also get the television serials they deserve. The mandate is out. It’s Kulture over Culture!!!